Can I just say the cover of this book is perfection!

Lucy Undying is a reimagining of Dracula, from the point of view of the character of Lucy Westenra. It is told from different timelines, from before Lucy is a vampire, immidiately after she is turned, and in the present with a different storyline. We also get the point of view of Iris, a human in the present, and everything that is going on in her life.

Seeing Lucy through this journey of self discovery, and self love was bittersweet. There were times I wanted to shake Lucy for her naiveté. Other times it was clear all she needed someone to tell her that she was enough.

This novel is extremely character driven, if you don’t enjoy that, you might feel that the pacing of the novel is slow. I didn’t mind, all the POVs had me hooked!

Something else I loved in this novel was the passage of time. Time had no meaning when you’d live forever. But from the moment Iris and Lucy met, time stopped and slowed.

Some spoilers ahead:

The commentary on MLMs, by making it vampire MLM killed me(in a good way). MLMs will suck the life out of you, figuratively and literally!
I did think the romance between Lucy and Iris was a tad insta love.

Overall, a gorgeous read, if you love a twist on your classics, go pick this up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kiersten White for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Lucy Undying coming out September 10, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received this directly from NetGalley, so I didn’t request it. I’ve read a couple books by this author, so I decided to give it a chance. I love Dracula and a lot of other vampire stories. I’ll always be a fan of the genre. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it didn’t really work for me. I felt like it was trying to do too much. I really wasn’t interested in the modern story at all. I would’ve preferred it stay in the 1890s. The writing wasn’t bad. I just think the dialogue was a little wooden. I thought it was very long and could’ve used some editing. I don’t think this author is for me.

A retelling of Dracula, a cover that pulls you in and it is written by Kiersten?! Heck yes, count me in!
I LOVED Lucy.

Lucy was born a long time ago, just like anyone else. When she was born the second time, you could say nothing was ever the same again.

When Lucy woke up as a vampire, which did not seem so pleasant to wake in a coffee and an unsatisfied thirst. Worst of all is that Dracula wants her and Lucy will have none of that.

Lucy is fun, Whitty, speaks her mind and overall, a well-done character.

Then you have Iris. She is in England and on a mission. Gather everything left to her and get rid of it.

She is not happy about what is going on and is not shy about it. She is happy her mom is dead (relatable) and cannot wait to be rid of the legacy she left behind. Starting with one of the houses of which is basically worthless inside. No jewelry, nothing of value to sell.

Until the one room she forced her way in and found a diary belonging to Lucy.

Overall, I like Iris. There were moments where I was a little annoyed with her. I could relate with some of rants/antics. No Wi-Fi or bars, yikes, bad time when you’re alone in an empty old abandon mansion. No outlets or light switches either?? Sheesh, what year was this house again? Though, it would not be too bad if the house were in a more livable condition. But oh well, the plan is to sell asap anyway.

When Lucy shows up at the house, the pace picks up more and you become so immersed in the story that it is impossible to put it down.

Another masterpiece by Kiersten.

I love Kiersten White, but this book fell a little for me. I was so excited to read another Kiersten White book, I couldn’t click fast enough. The story felt a little too long and dragged in certain areas. I did love the gothic feels and a great twist on a classic story. Thank you Kiersten White, NetGalley and Del Rey for this digital copy.

Superbly gothic, full of lust and longing and an amazing addition to the vampire genre. One would think vampires and the associated lore could get tiresome but Lucy Undying shows that an old (or dead) dog can still learn new tricks.

2.50!

The whole book was giving Castlenova energy and I loved that show +the premise and the cover was so hard to pass on so it was already going in the right direction for me but then I actually started the book and my main problem would be the pacing it was so terribly slow and it dragged so much that I had to skim a bit because if I didnt it would've been a dnf. I would have never been able to move forward. I also appreciated how we got more than one point of view but the author was clearly struggling with managing three point of views at ones. The characters actually had me hooked at the start but as the book progressed they were dulled down and to be honest this was a very forgettable book. Ask me anything about this book in 4 days and I wont be able to tell you anything about it. Lucy's character for me was very sloppy and immature. Mina was just boring. Im giving this two stars because the first half was somewhat enjoyable. I have had Kirsten's trilogy and I darken on my tbr for 5 years now and I was gonna read it this year but after this book I am pushing it down because I was so excited for this and the disappointment was real.
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I saw vampires and I saw the cover and said let's gooo!!

*Thank you to Penguin Random House for this arc*

DNF'd 50% of the way through.

Heartbroken about this book. I really wanted to like it - Lucy! Vampires! Sapphic! And it just got increasingly silly. Lucy accidentally stops WW1! She stops a serial killer! BUT she's not a good person, she's just accidentally in the middle of every historic event to take place since Dracula was written! I was starting to feel like I was reading Dracula Forrest Gump, and not in a good way. It felt random and disjointed from the narrative. Nothing she did had any impact on the story.

I also thought it was very poorly written. From the start, you're reading Lucy's diaries along with her present day therapist transcript (ngl this ALSO felt very, very weird. Why is this vampire at a therapist?) and then later in the book, the other narrator, Iris, starts reading them too - but she's behind what you've already read, and starts making references to things that happened ages ago in the book. It would have been easy for the reader to be reading WITH Iris, but the reader being SO far ahead just created confusion. It didn't feel well thought out.

I liked this book so much at first, but the silliness of the narrative along with the sloppiness of the POVs made me think not only do I not want to handsell this book, but that I don't want to read anything by this author ever again.

I think it's criminal that a book with such a STUNNING cover and interesting premise is so BORING. DNF at 20% cause I know myself and I know what I like to read, and this isn't it. The characters were bland, the jumps between diary entries, present-day, and therapy session transcripts was jarring, and I just didn't vibe with this at all. So I'm not pushing myself through this to give it a mid rating when I'm done.

Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel by Kiersten White is a captivating tale of a vampire who breaks free from Dracula's control and sets out on a journey of self-discovery and love. This epic gothic fantasy, written by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide, is both empowering and vengeful, drawing me into a seductive world of darkness and intrigue.

I'm so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to read Lucy Undying as an ARC! This is my first time reading something by Kiersten White, and after finishing this book, I've come to realize that I really enjoy White's writing style- I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for her books in the future. Also- can we take a moment to appreciate that STUNNING cover??

A revelation I had while reading this book is: as a whole... I'm not sure I love Dracula retellings. This is not a criticism of White's retelling by any means- I thought her rendition was really interesting and fun- I'm just not sure they're for me, in general! With that being said, I really enjoyed the writing style throughout Lucy Undying- there were a lot of creative elements and POV's that made this story come together in a really intriguing way. Even though Dracula retellings aren't typically the subject matter I reach for, something about this book kept me turning the page. If you are a fan of Dracula retellings (particularly extra sapphic ones!!!), then this is definitely something I would recommend you check out on September 10th, when this book finds its way into the world! Overall, I'm giving Lucy Undying a 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads purposes. I look forward to seeing what else Kiersten White writes into existence!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey books for this ARC for review. I LOVE Dracula so when I saw that there was going to be a book about Lucy, I was super excited and had to get a copy. This book did not disappoint. This book tells the story where Dracula left off and even more so. This is Lucy's story in its entirety. Lucy didn't let Dracula in, her family did. The only thing that saved her was Dracula. Her family was trying to kill her. Lucy then spends her undead life figuring out who she really is, and it isn't until present day that Lucy finds someone special.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White is a mixed first, second, and third POV mutli-timeline contemporary horror reimagining of Lucy, Mina, and several other characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula. When Iris, a young heiress, finds a diary belonging to Lucy before Lucy was bitten by Dracula, she becomes enamored with the Queer journey inside. Meanwhile, Lucy has been hunting Dracula down for decades to keep Mina, her first love, safe.

It's been years since I read Dracula, so I'm ashamed to admit that I actually did not remember Lucy but I did remember a vast majority of the other characters mentioned. I felt that the narration does assume a bit of knowledge of Dracula but more in the ‘you know who Dracula, Jonathan, and Mina are? Good, enjoy the ride’ way. The cowboy, the doctor, and the heir that are also part of Lucy and Mina’s storylines are fleshed out enough that I wasn't lost or wishing I had reread Dracula more recently.

The narration plays a lot with style and form. We have transcripts between Lucy and a therapist that is almost entirely Lucy speaking and using ‘you’ as if she is talking to the reader, not her therapist. We also have first person narration from Iris, Lucy in the form of diary entries, letters, several third person chapters, and a few second person chapters. There is an indicator at the start of each chapter to let the reader know who the main player is and sometimes even a date. I found the playing with form to be a really interesting way to integrate all of these diverging aspects that really all stem from the same source.

What I found really interesting was how Iris and Elle, a young woman who quickly becomes Iris’ friend then lover, mirrors and then breaks away from Lucy and Mina’s story in the diary. Lucy pines for Mina and wants to marry her and Iris cannot stop thinking about Elle. But Mina always insists on Lucy getting married to a man and Mina wants to marry Jonathan, pushing Lucy towards three men who may or not be sincere in their intentions towards her. It's heartbreaking to see a young Queer woman being tossed aside like that but it's also wonderful to see a Sapphic relationship being given the chance to grow into something long-lasting.

Content warning for mentions of medical procedures done without consent, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and emotional abuse

I would recommend this to fans of Dracula who want a Queer storyline, readers invested in stories depicting descendants of characters from classic literature, and those looking for a horror with a slow build and playing with form

"A vampire escapes the thrall of Dracula and embarks on her own search for self-discovery and true love in this epic and seductive gothic fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.

Her name was written in the pages of someone else's story: Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula's first victims.

But her death was only the beginning. Lucy rose from the grave a vampire and has spent her immortal life trying to escape from Dracula's clutches - and trying to discover who she really is and what she truly wants.

Her undead life takes an unexpected turn in twenty-first-century London, when she meets another woman, Iris, who is also yearning to break free from her past. Iris's family has built a health empire based on a sinister secret, and they'll do anything to stay in power.

Lucy has long believed she would never love again. Yet she finds herself compelled by the charming Iris while Iris is equally mesmerized by the confident and glamorous Lucy. But their intense connection and blossoming love is threatened by outside forces. Iris's mother won't let go of her without a fight, and Lucy's past still has fangs: Dracula is on the prowl once more.

Lucy Westenra has been a tragically murdered teen, a lonesome adventurer, and a fearsome hunter, but happiness has always eluded her. Can she find the strength to destroy Dracula once and for all, or will her heart once again be her undoing?"

I love that Lucy Westenra is finally coming into her own and is no longer just a victim of Dracula as she has been for over a hundred years.

I LOVE THIS BOOK. Lucy is such an underappreciated character in the Dracula story and hearing more from her is so fun. And in typical Kiersten White fashion, it is meaningful and has an underlying message that was so important.

“Lucy Undying” is a great take on an underutilized character and I loved getting a new sapphic twist on the classic Dracula through Lucy Westerna. I enjoyed the different points of view in the story. I felt that using three different points of views in the beginning, that slowly caught up to one another was a really great way to tell this story. The author made this very easy to follow by giving each POV and timeline separate chapters, so it was always clear whose head and time you were in. It really highlights who Lucy was and who she is now and how she was changed by her experiences. Lucy is a much more interesting and complex character here than in the original “Dracula”. Lucy's points of view were a nice contrast to Iris, as each chapter revealed different information I could piece together what was happening really nicely. The characters in this book are all interesting and in my opinion, rather well written. I loved the Queen, Doctor, and the Lover. Lucy was just a wonderful protagonist to follow. Iris took a bit more time for me to get used to, but I ended up really enjoying her too. The relationship between Lucy and Iris develops quite fast, but it made sense and all their jokes and quirks were really cute. This book is brilliantly plotted. It's not a short book, but the pacing is really strong and there doesn't feel like there is any excess that doesn't serve the overarching narrative and themes. I think that this would make an excellent series for a streaming platform. I think the romance in this sapphic story is delightful and refreshing - if you enjoy vampires, LGBTQ+ stories, and solving mysteries then give this one a try! Thanks to Kiersten White, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine and Del Rey for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts.

This book is such an original spin on the story we all know so well. I loved hearing Lucy’s story. I devoured it all. I’m so glad that I read this. Love who you love and don’t let anyone remake you to their idea of what/who they think you should be!

Lucy Undying tells the story of Dracula's first victim from her perspective and the connections she makes along the decades as a vampire, from World Wars to present time. Will Lucy ever find her place in the world?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The blood is life."

This book has it all: feminine rage, sapphic vampires, and plot twists until the very end. The relationship that Lucy and Iris form throughout the book is wholesome and the way that they help each other work through the traumas they've faced in their lives is so powerful. Every single character had their place in the story, my favorite being an unapologetic and blunt vampire doctor in which Lucy meets time and time again throughout the course of the book. Some parts in the middle did drag for me, and some of Dracula's POV chapters seemed unnecessary, but I still had a really great time with this book, and I highly recommend it!

I was given the opportunity to read this ARC by NetGalley and I knew the author from Mister Magic wich I loved and I thought I would also enjoy this, and when I say that is an understatement This was addictive. It fully engulfs you and sweetly gives you a glimpse in three points of view. It's romantic, it's adventurous, it's a journey of a llifetimeand I loved every page of it. I cannot wait for everyone else to be able to read this and to add to my physical collection.

I thought this book was very underwhelming and a disappointment. The first half of the book is filled with different POV between Lucy, Lucy’s therapist notes and many others. It was all very very confusing!! I never found myself caring or empathizing with anyone in the novel. I was just really disappointed in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.